United computer glitch delays weekend for some
The Posner family from Buffalo Grove was headed to Montreal Thursday morning to visit family for the long weekend.
Instead, they got a "pre-vacation" ride on Chicago's el train.
The Posners were expecting to catch a 10:30 a.m. flight and arrive in Montreal midday, but they arrived at O'Hare International Airport to find huge lines caused by a United Airlines computer glitch. Their flight was delayed seven and a half hours.
So, David and Debbie Posner and 11-year-old daughter Haley made the best of a frustrating situation.
"We're going to start our vacation right here at home," Debbie Posner said.
The family, originally from Canada, had never ridden the el, so they decided to spend a few hours in Chicago before heading north. Haley was not quite as enthusiastic about the diversion as her parents.
"I think it stinks," she said, iPod in hand.
Hundreds of other travelers agreed with her, experiencing flight delays and long lines while trying to get an early start on the Fourth of July holiday weekend. A computer problem that started about 5 a.m. Thursday temporarily disrupted the airline's traffic.
The glitch affected the boarding pass system and computers that tell pilots the number of passengers on board and weight of the plane. United would not say how the problem occurred.
By 10 a.m., most of the computers used to check in passengers were working and lines were back to normal. At the peak of the problem, more than 1,000 passengers stood in lines in the O'Hare terminal, and since O'Hare is a United hub, other airports also experienced delays.
Ying Yu, a law professor from New York, endured the delay from that perspective as waited at O'Hare for a friend coming in on United. Yu, who arrived in Chicago on another airline, was planning to meet a friend coming from China for a weekend in Chicago.
"My friend is stuck in Cleveland. It's a big problem. I don't know what will happen. I'm afraid," said Yu, as she paced through the terminal with a cart full of her luggage.
Bernadette Espinosa was also nervous Thursday morning while waiting to check in her luggage for a "postponed honeymoon" flight to Seville, Spain. Espinosa and husband Warren were told United was looking for another flight for them. The couple heard about the delays on the news Thursday morning when they woke up.
"We called the airline this morning and they suggested that we get to the airport ASAP," Bernadette Espinosa said. "I don't care when we leave, as long as I get to Seville."
Some passengers experienced only minor delays. Shelly Boyle of Hoffman Estates breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived at O'Hare.
"My flight's delayed just 30 minutes," she said. "When I heard on the radio this morning about the problems here, I thought there was no way I'd be leaving today."
Boyle and her 2-year-old daughter were on their way to Denver, where they plan to spend the Fourth of July weekend visiting Boyle's sister.
"This trip is special because my daughter will be meeting her cousins for the first time," Boyle said.
Stu Bradley of Chicago seemed understanding of the problems.
"I travel once or twice a week and this is just a fact of life," said Bradley, who was flying to Montana for a family reunion. "You have to give the airlines a break. They are doing the best they can."
Daily Herald writer Matt Arado contributed to this report.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=304478">How to deal with delayed or canceled flights<span class="date"> [7/2/09]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.flychicago.com/FlightInformation/home.shtm" class="mediaItem">O'Hare flight information</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.united.com/checkin" class="mediaItem">United's online check in site</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>